Kristen Kaelin started teaching at age nine when she removed all of the clothes and shoes from her bedroom closet, converted it into a classroom, and persuaded her younger sister to be her first student. She went on to pursue a more formal career in education after getting her bachelor of education at Smith College and her master’s in special education at Bank Street College of Education. She’s taught for 14 years in public, charter, and private schools in New York, New Jersey, and Italy. Kristen currently teaches fourth grade at the Brooklyn New School (P.S.146), is a consulting teacher for Center for Responsive Schools, and adjuncts at Bank Street. She strongly believes in the importance of creating classroom communities in which students are cared for and valued holistically. Kristen is grateful for the opportunity to share her passion for Responsive Classroom with other educators around the world.